The World
by Kitsubasa
Summary: All he wanted was to fuse Izanagi-no-Okami. Was that such a difficult thing to ask for? Fate says yes. -Minato/Souji, P3/P4 crossover-
1. Chapter 1

_I chooseth this fate of my own free will_

With a small sigh of relief, I add the final card to my fusion spread. Twelve Personae are laid out before me. Twelve Personae, eleven arcana, and one result that I strive for: Izanagi-no-Okami. Weeks of collecting up cards are about to pay off. Igor casts his gaze over my spread.

"Izanagi-no-Okami, eh?" He gives an eerie laugh. "I can't say I'm surprised. From the moment you entered the Velvet Room, I saw that you would be one to pursue even the mightiest of Personae." A smile carved into his wrinkled face, he swings one hand out above the table, and raises the cards into the air. My heart pulses louder as he flips them over, thin blue lines of light connecting them all together. A second later, they return to a face-down position, Igor's table shaking with the energy created by the fusion. Breaking formation, the cards float skywards, leaving glowing blue trails. There are only moments until I have my ultimate Persona.

"_Wait_."

An unfamiliar voice thrums through the Velvet Room, quiet and whispery. Igor glances upwards as he hears it, the cards continuing their movements. His expression turns from delight to shock in the space of a second, and he silently mouths a word. The tarot cards give off a wave of bright light, a loud noise following.

The card fusion has continued as usual— so why doesn't this feel right? The first hint that something is up comes when the light of the fusion doesn't die out. The noise of rock cracking apart fills the room, followed by chains, clinking into each other as they fall away from something. The voice that had called out before lets off a loud scream.

Without warning, I collapse from the chair where I'm seated, everything fading quickly to black.

_I am Orpheus, Master of Strings_

"Souji. Souji, wake up." Margaret wakes me, shaking me by the shoulder. My eyes open slowly, the world blurry in my tired state. Getting to my knees, I feel a wave of nausea sweep over me. Something went horribly wrong in the fusion, I can tell already. Looking over to Igor as my vision clears, I notice that his grin has returned. One card lies on the table in front of him, face up. The World.

"Something unexpected has occurred,"

"Yeah." With Margaret steadying me, I climb back onto the chair.

"We have accidentally connected your soul to that of another," As per usual, I struggle to understand Igor's words. Connecting my soul to another's? "During the fusion we were interrupted by an outsider." Getting up from his seat, very slowly, Igor pulls a card from his breast pocket and walks forward.

"This visitor has lacked a corporeal form for quite some time, and his soul has only recently been freed from its bonds. This state allowed him to be caught by the power of our fusion…" I'm still not following him, and my head is starting to pound with pain. What the hell happened? "Your new Persona possesses someone else's soul." Passing me the card, I look it over. A robotic humanoid with the head of a white-haired young man is pictured on it.

"Orpheus, Master of Strings." Igor's grin spreads, and his eyes show deep thought. "No, that's not it… _Minato Arisato_." A sharp jab of pain sears through my head.

"Come out, my Wild Card." Suddenly, all I can think of is how my entire body aches, as Orpheus' tarot card drifts from my hand. As a knee-jerk reaction, I reach out, and crush my hand down on the card. A burst of light surrounds me, and by the time it's died down, the pain has gone. I glance around. The Persona from the card sits on one of the free seats next to Margaret, slouched over, with his eyes shut and his arms bent awkwardly out, as though trying to fit them into imaginary pockets. Gradually, his eyes open, showing a blank red gaze.

"Where am I?" He opens his mouth to say the words, but the sound of them comes instead from his chest, where a speaker sits. After a moment, this fact seems to register to him, and he touches one hand to the system. "The Velvet Room? Igor, you…" He turns to look at the man in question, stopping in the middle of his sentence, as though he's thought up a more important question.

"… Why am I free from the Seal?" Reaching one of his white, metallic hands to his face, he brushes his fringe back.

"Aegis and Elizabeth made contact. The two of them managed to break you out of your prison." Orpheus begins to look worried.

"How did they…?"

"Elizabeth is now resting in your place," The Persona freezes. "Don't worry, we are looking for a less valuable replacement. My master knows many who would gladly help." After a moment of quiet contemplation, he slowly shifts around in his seat to face at me.

"Who's this?" Despite the panic setting into his voice, he manages to keep himself composed.

"The latest guest of the Velvet Room… Our brand new Wild Card. Meet Souji Seta." I try not to look freaked out as Orpheus shuffles nearer to study me more closely. I've never had a Persona stay summoned for so long… And I've never had one display such human emotions. Is this what Igor meant when he said that my soul was now 'connected with another's'?

"Hey, Souji." I nod casually in response, as he draws back away from me. He looks bewildered when he realizes how much taller he is when sitting straight up, instead of slouching like he was before.

"Souji, you may refer to him as Minato." The Persona seems to smile at this suggestion. That's weird. A Persona with two names…

"But the card says his name is Orpheus…?" I ask, wanting some kind of explanation for all the contradictions this Persona is bringing up. Igor laughs at me, as though I've told a bad joke.

"He is much more than just a Persona," Returning to his chair, Igor sits down with a groan. "He was once human, just like you, Souji. A Wild Card, with so much promise." Nearby, Orpheus bows his head, his hair flopping down over his eyes, as if Igor's words are bringing up painful memories. A human, becoming a Persona? This doesn't make any sense.

"But then came the threat of the Fall… I daresay Minato himself can explain the rest to you." I look expectantly at Orpheus—no, _Minato_—who closes his eyes.

"I'd rather not. Not just yet." Turning away, I notice him touch his hands to the speaker again. He's ashamed of himself… But I can't figure out why. Normally, I find people easier to read. "For now… Just, let's leave it at my name. I'm Minato Arisato."

_We are The World. We are the saviors._

_We have established a new bond._

_It brings us closer to our answers._

_We shall be blessed in our discovery of the rebirth_

_Brought by The World arcana_


	2. Chapter 2

The silence is almost suffocating, as I lie in silence on my futon. Nearby, Minato sits, playing with his lyre, his eyes downcast. Both of us seem to want to speak up, but neither of us have the courage. The room is darkened, and the rain pelts down on the roof. Today, I returned to the city… And for some reason, all I can do now is hope that something happens so I don't have to stay. This entire past year has been incredible. I had hoped to fuse Izanagi-no-Okami as a souvenir of my stay in Inaba, but that plan has long since gone down the drain. Minato, thus far, seems like a somewhat laughable compromise.

In the few hours since his creation, he's done little but pluck at that stupid instrument, experimenting with the music it creates. At one stage, he tried to plug my mp3 player into himself, as though attempting to become a living speaker. Maybe he has a thing for music, like Yosuke. From what I've seen so far, I wouldn't put it past this weird Persona. He appears and disappears against my will, and seems to like to keep to himself. At least he didn't show up when I was talking to my parents earlier.

As I close my eyes, and begin to try and sleep, I hear a loud _bang_. Jolting upright, I glance at Minato, who has dropped his lyre.

"Don't worry." He says, noting my annoyance. Picking up the lyre, he sits it against my wall. Quiet sets in again. I settle back down under the covers, and try to nod off. "Hey, Souji." His voice catches me off guard. Peering out at Minato, I glare, hoping he notices despite the darkness. He's not human, so he should have good eyesight, right?

"What year is this?" What kind of question is _that_?

"Two thousand and twelve," I respond, my voice flat and emotionless. "But it's only early on in the year."

"Two thousand and twelve," He repeats, his tone completely unreadable. Just what is this guy thinking? "That means they're all in college now."

"_Who's_ in college now?"

"My friends." Congratulations, Souji, you're an idiot. How had I not guessed that?

"So, how old were you before this, anyway?" I figure it's a good enough question to get the ball rolling. I don't really like talking, and neither does he, it seems, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to find out more about this human-turned-Persona. His voice sounds pretty young, and from his previous question, I'm guessing he's not too much older than me.

"Seventeen." Minato's answer comes without a moment's hesitation, as though he was expecting me to ask. I would have pegged him as being about eighteen or nineteen, personally, so my guess isn't too far off.

"And when'd you end up like… That?" How do you describe his situation, anyway? Persona-fied?

"I died in two thousand and ten… I've only been like _this _for a few hours." A small sigh follows his sentence. "… Orpheus was my first Persona, when I was human." In the gloom, I see him shuffle around, then lie down on the floor, tucking his legs in to avoid kicking something over. I can't think of anything else to ask, after his answer. So… He's dead. He was a kid my age, and then he died… Died doing what? Do I want to know? He's an ex-Persona user, so if I put two and two together… He died fighting a Shadow? Or maybe this runs deeper…

"What did you look like, when you were human?" I feel like I'm asking way too many questions. I get anxious when someone so much as wants to know my name, and Minato seems to have similar aversions to talking… But the want to know about him overrides it all. Put two quiet people together, one's gotta talk, right?

"Hm… You'll see someday. I'm sure." There's a touch of amusement as he teases me with this information. Damn it, usually people pour their hearts out to me—this isn't any fun.

"Sure I will." Wind begins to blow outside, tossing leaves against my window, and Minato lets out a sigh. This is going to be a long night.

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 2._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it!" Angrily slamming the door behind me, I stride into the room. Minato glances up from his book, looking at me curiously.

"What's wrong, Souji?" I don't want to tell him. It'll make me seem petty- the fact that I'm losing my cool over something so tiny. Collapsing into my sofa, I roll my head back and look up at the plaster ceiling. The patterns in it seem so unfamiliar. But, then again, it's been a year since I was last here. I wish I could be back in Inaba, with the investigation team, hanging out at Dojima's house. I hear Minato get to his feet nearby, and wander over to me. Sitting down beside me, he sighs. "Come on."

I turn my head to the side and look at him. He's staring at me with those empty red eyes again, his face completely devoid of expression. Sometimes I think he's fallen asleep, with how quiet he can be, but then out of nowhere, he'll spark back into life. I guess some people think of me in the same way. Maybe being quiet and difficult to read is some kind of prerequisite for becoming a Wild Card.

"My parents have decided to move again," I grumble, after a few more moments of silence. Minato nods slowly, looking dejected as I mention my parents. Did he have some kind of problems with his, back when he was alive? I would ask, but for some reason, I know he won't give me an answer. I think by now it's sunk in on him how weird I find it to be talking with one of my Personae, let alone having them answer back. I think everything he's doing now is some weird way of trying to make me feel comfortable with him. I think… He doesn't want the one person he can talk to rejecting him. "Dad's got a job doing building work for some school." There Minato goes again, still nodding.

"What part of the country?" I shrug at his question.

"A city called Iwatodai. We're gonna be moving there in a month." For a moment, the Persona recoils from me, a wild flurry of emotions presenting themselves on him. Though he's trying to look disappointed now, I can tell that's just a façade. The edges of his mouth twitch, attempting to move into a smile. He's happy. "So, what's with that face you're making?" Despite showing a moment of surprise, having assumed that I hadn't noticed his joy, Minato answers quickly.

"I used to live in Iwatodai." Standing up, he shoots me a look of total contentment.

And all the annoyance I had felt towards moving… Just disappears.

"Oh." I can't bring myself to say anything else. This Persona's been living in my room for just over a week, and I've already grown attached to him like I would have any human being. His quirky tiredness, the way he always seems delighted when I mention anything linking to his human life… And the fact that he's so eager to just slot himself into my life without causing trouble. It's gotten to the point where I almost feel guilty whenever I upset him. But then again, I guess it's a Wild Card thing. Thinking back to Inaba, I was always surrounded by so many people that I wanted to get to know, that I'd just become whatever seemed to work best for them. A lover, a friend, an elder brother… And now someone's doing the same thing for me. I don't know whether I should be happy about all this or not.

"You really don't want to move, do you?" He finally breaks the awkward silence, sounding hopeful that I'll choose to go there. Walking across the room, he picks up the book he'd been reading, and closes it, before slotting it into a place on my shelf.

"I don't know." Beginning to sift through more of my books, Minato pulls one out after a few moments, and returns to the sofa. Sitting down, he skim reads the blurb with a calm smile on his face. "But you seem to like the idea." Shooting me a glance, I know immediately that he does, even if he's too kind to show it.

"Come on, Minato, you can tell me how you feel." I pull the book from his hands, to try and keep him from getting too distracted. He gazes longingly after it, but soon gets the idea that I'm not handing it back without a proper answer.

"I…" Despite me taking away the book, he still seems out of it, like something else is on his mind. Or maybe, he's just tired. Since his soul was connected to mine, I've been feeling a little weary myself, thinking about it… "You know that's the first time you've called me by my name?" Oh hell. I _hadn't_ known. Have I really gone eight days without saying his name?

"… Sorry." Shuffling into my seat, I groan internally. Great work, Souji. You've hurt his feelings.

"Don't apologize. I'm glad, actually." He gives a small laugh. "I thought you might have forgotten it." Despite his nonchalant attitude, I can tell he's not as happy as he says. I don't think I can pester him about the moving issue any more now.

"… I want to go there." But then again, maybe I don't need to.

"You do?"

"Yeah." Handing him back the book, I get up from the sofa. If Minato wants us to move, then I'm up for it. It's not like I'm not used to trekking around Japan with my life in a cardboard box.

"I'll go tell them that I don't mind, then." As I walk out the door, I feel glad that I've been able to do something to cheer him up. There's something eerie about the sad songs he plays on that lyre all day.

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 3._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey. How's moving going?" Summoning himself nearby, Minato gazes at me curiously.

"Fine, but can you keep it down?" I motion to the door nearby, before returning to scrubbing my hands rigorously with soap. Something sticky got on my hands earlier when I was watching that crappy action movie—and I really don't want it getting all over my food. My mother texted me a few minutes ago telling me she'd be meeting me soon at a restaurant by the Iwatodai station… So I'm assuming that she's done getting the fridge in with my father.

"Oh. Sorry." Taking a few steps closer to me, Minato looks a little embarrassed. "What's your new house like?" I can't help but grin at his dumb question—I've shown him the pictures.

"Not bad," Even if his query was kind of silly, I can't bring myself to call him out on it. Our new house is a big, two-story place, kind of like Dojima's, with some tatami rooms, some carpeted. My room's smaller than the old one, though, so we've had to stick my sofa in storage. At least the view's nice from the window—you can see out into the harbor, all the way across to Port Island. "Though, you might have to duck now if you're going to stand up in my room." Pouting a little, Minato turns to look into the mirror by the basin, bending down so he can see his face. Giving a sad little smirk, he pulls himself back up to his full height, towering over me.

"You okay, Minato?" It's pretty clear he's not, but if I flat-out ask him why, he'll probably just get all jittery. With Minato, it's better not to ask him much—he never wants to talk about himself- ever.

"… Yeah …?" He sounds a little unsure in his answer. Great- it means I can crack him.

"What's up?" Craning my head up, I look into his eyes.

"It's just a little weird, is all." He presses one hand to the mirror to clarify his statement. This must be the first time he's seen a mirror since he became Orpheus—I don't keep any in my room, that's for sure, and he's not been anywhere else until now. "Just, looking into a mirror and seeing that… It kind of makes me realize that I really am a Persona." Taking another look, he flicks his fringe to one side, before making a face at himself. Stifling a yawn, he straightens up once again.

"For some reason though, it doesn't bother me that much." Turning towards the door, he motions at it. "You ready to go?" A small pool of light begins to form at his feet, showing that he's going to disappear soon. He knows he can't stray too far from me, and that he can't be seen in public either. Crossing the room, I grab a paper towel, and wipe my hands dry, before scrunching it up and throwing it in the bin.

"Yeah." The light begins to travel up Minato's body, as he fades out of existence. I wonder, does it scare him to spirit himself away like that, whenever I head out into the world? As I touch the exit from the bathroom, the last of him fades from sight. Minato… He puzzles me sometimes. Pushing the door open, I'm met with surprise as I crash into someone, breaking me from my thoughts immediately.

"Waaah!" Stumbling back from me, the man I had walked into lets out a wail of shock. Bumping into a woman walking behind him, he makes a second noise of panic, and tips his baseball cap to her, before looking back to me. "Dude, sorry 'bout that!" Moving to push past me again, I feel a hand grab my shoulder, and yank me back into the bathroom. Looking up in surprise, I see Minato, grinning like he's won the lottery or something. What the hell is he thinking, showing up when some stranger's around?!

"Junpei!" As the door clunks shut behind him, I see the man's face show horror—hey, I can't blame him, I'd probably react the same way if a nine-foot-tall mechanical man showed up out of nowhere. Stepping forwards, Minato gently nudges me aside. "It's been a long time."

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 4._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	5. Chapter 5

"M-minato?" The man's face changes from horror to an indecipherable mix of emotions. "Shit… You're alive. How'd that happen? Ah, hell, I think I need to siddown." Trying to leave the bathroom again, he takes his hat off and begins to rub his forehead worriedly. Unfazed by the man's shock, Minato reaches forward and grabs his shoulder, then tries to pull him back. He doesn't resist, turning around at the Persona's touch.

"No… No, I must be dreaming. I fell asleep during that movie, and now I'm..." Looking Minato in the eye, he shivers. "… It really is you, isn't it, Minato?" The Persona nods slowly, his smile growing.

"It's good to see you, Junpei." Junpei rubs his eyes quickly, and looks again.

"… I'm really seeing this. You're alive. You're really alive." Looking him over once more, his face shows guilt. "Oh god, Minato… I'm sorry, man. I mean, we all thought you'd be in that seal forever, and now you're like this and…"

"Don't worry about it." Placing a hand on Junpei's shoulder, Minato smiles warmly. I've seen that face before. When he uses it, you're spellbound, and powerless to disagree with anything he says. Even though I pride myself on being good at negotiating responses from people, Minato's smile blows my prowess out of the water. I can't say that I'm not jealous, really.

"So… How'd that happen, anyway?" Rapping the speaker in Minato's stomach with his knuckles, Junpei looks at him with an inquisitive smile—but there's still pain below that. "It's kinda weird, you being in Orpheus' body."

"I'm still not sure myself. He seems to know a bit more about it than I do," Minato motions to me. "Souji, this is Junpei. Junpei, meet Souji." Junpei waves at me casually.

"'Sup dude?" I wave back, but say nothing. Sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Minato's friend laughs a bit. An awkward silence slowly descends on the three of us.

"So, Junpei," After a few moments, Minato speaks. "How is everyone?" Junpei looks anxiously away, pulling his baseball cap down a little.

"I dunno. I haven't seen Akihiko since he left Gekkoukan, same goes for Mitsuru—but I think Fuuka still calls her sometimes. Speaking of Fuuka, she, Yukari, and I kept in touch until a little while ago, but from what I can tell, they're all doing fine, they've just hit a busy patch with college," Looking thoughtful, he trails off for a moment, before striking a thought and continuing to talk. "Aegis went off to visit Mitsuru a while ago, and I think they're living together now, since Mitsuru can perform maintenance for her. Ken is in Gekkoukan now, and Koromaru's with me."

"What about Chidori?" Junpei's face lights up, and I can tell that whoever this 'Chidori' girl is, he's got feelings for her.

"She and I've been doing great, Minato." He hastily hides one of his hands from sight, and as it disappears, I see a glimmer of silver—it looks like 'great' is an understatement.

"That's good to hear." Minato pretends not to have seen the ring, but it's fairly obvious that he did, from the smirk he's fighting to keep off his face. "… Junpei, could I ask you a favor?"

"What?" He looks eager to do whatever it is Minato wants. It's clear that Junpei feels some kind of guilt over Minato's death, but why? And what's this seal thing that keeps coming up?

"Could you tell everyone that I'm alive? I want to see them again, if I can." Junpei immediately grins, and tips his hat to Minato.

"Sure, man. I think they'll be pretty happy to see you're okay, too. Even if you do look like…" He falters in his sentence as he tries to say the words. "… Even if you do look like Orpheus." Turning to me, Minato gives a hopeful smile.

"If Junpei can organize some way for me to meet my friends again, would you be okay with taking me there? I have to tell them that I'm fine."

"Sure." I don't stop to think my answer over. Minato deserves to see them—I can't keep him from his friends when he seems to have cheated death just to get back to them.

"I'll get right on it, then." Junpei pulls a cellphone from a pocket in his jacket, and hands it to me. "Stick your number on my contacts list, Souji. I'll get in touch with you and Minato as soon as I can." Doing as I'm told, I input the information, and hand the phone back to Junpei.

"Great." Turning to face Minato again, Junpei grins. "I still can't believe all this—but man, it's sweet to see that you're okay."

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 5._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	6. Chapter 6

Checking the text Junpei sent me, I look up at the dirty old building in front of me. Yeah, I'm at the right place. Walking forwards, I try to push the door open, only to find it's locked. Knocking on it a few times, I fold my arms and wait for someone to answer. After only a few seconds, it swings open, revealing a pretty girl—probably about twenty or so—with long brown hair.

"Minato!" She cheers, only to be disappointed when she sees me instead. Giving me a dirty look, she swings the door back closed on me, leaving me stranded outside. Great. Some welcome I get, for trekking all the way here from the other side of Iwatodai, _just _to reunite these guys with their old friend. Breathing a sigh of annoyance, I knock again. This time, it's answered by someone else. Another girl of about the same age answers.

"Oh, you must be Souji. Come in," Opening the door wider, she invites me inside. "I'm sorry about Yukari, but she's been looking forward to seeing Minato, ever since Junpei gave us that call a few weeks back." Showing me to a cluster of sofas, she offers me a seat. Food is laid out on the coffee table in front of me. I look around the room. On a sofa opposite mine, Junpei sits, nibbling on a piece of salmon sushi. Standing behind him is the rude girl from before, and a dog lies on the floor in front of him. A guy about my age sits next to Junpei, sipping on a cup of tea. In a lone chair at the head of the table sits a woman slightly older than the rest of the people gathered, flipping through a magazine. The girl who had shown me in sits down next to me.

"Want something to eat, Souji? Mitsuru bought us some sushi." She motions to the lady at the end of the table as she says the name, causing the woman in question to set down her magazine.

"It's from a renowned restaurant near Paulownia," Picking up a piece herself, she bites into it slowly, trying to avoid ruining her carefully-applied red lipstick. "It's very good." Nodding, I grab some tuna sushi, and stare at it for a few moments. It smells delicious… She really did pay well for this. Minato must sure mean a lot to these people for them to be buying hundreds of dollars worth of sushi to celebrate his return.

"My name's Fuuka," The girl sitting next to me says. "And the one who slammed the door on you is Yukari." Yukari shoots me an apologetic smile as her name is mentioned.

"The dog's name is Koromaru, and I guess the only one left to introduce is Ken." Getting to his feet slowly, Koromaru trots up to me, and licks one of my hands, before giving a friendly 'woof'.

"Hello!" Ken smiles at me, holding a piece of sushi near his mouth, about to eat it.

"So, I take it we're all here now?" Mitsuru asks, as she finishes her mouthful.

"Come on, Mitsuru! You're forgetting the guest of honor!" Junpei, however, is far less polite, and talks through his food.

"Yeah, that's right!" Yukari calls out, beginning to look a bit annoyed again.

"Quiet down everyone. I'm sure he'll show up soon." Folding her legs, Mitsuru looks at Junpei with a dangerous glint in her eyes. A sharp jab of pain sparks through my skull, and I realize that Minato's coming out _now_. At the opposite end of the table to where Mitsuru sits, a golden light bursts up from the ground.

"W-what is that?" Stumbling back, Yukari looks afraid. Didn't Junpei tell them about what Minato has become?

"A Persona?" Leaning away from the light, Fuuka seems to share Yukari's feelings—as does Ken. Mitsuru remains calm, closing her eyes, with a small smile on her face. As the light subsides, Minato opens his eyes, and smiles serenely, trying to dispel the tense mood that has appeared. Sadly, his plan doesn't work too well.

"This has to be some kind of joke." Turning away from him, Yukari stomps towards the door. "So this guy has _his_ Persona? Big deal! Don't call me out for something like this again, Junpei." Grabbing a long, pink jacket off the coat-hanger, she slides it onto one arm, and then the other.

"I'll see you guys around."

"Wait, Yukari." Speaking up, Minato reaches out to her.

"Minato?" Turning around to face us all, Yukari looks at the Persona with watery eyes, her voice cracking slightly. Fuuka and Ken share a look, as it dawns on them that it really is Minato there. "It is _you_, right?" She walks slowly towards him.

"Yes." Bending down, Minato opens his arms wide. Slipping herself into them, Yukari hugs him tightly. He reciprocates.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe you're here…" A hesitation. She doesn't want to say whatever's coming next. "… I can't believe you look like _that_. How the hell'd you end up like this, Minato?" Pressing her face into one of his shoulders, she clings tighter.

"Why can't you be the same as before? I've missed you more than you can imagine!" Beside me, Fuuka sighs.

"Yukari…" Junpei frowns a little at Yukari's words.

"Come on. We're lucky to have him back at all." Looking sadly at Junpei, Minato shakes his head. He knows that they're all wishing he was human. Only Yukari has the strength to actually say it.

"I'm sorry that I don't look the same, Yukari." Letting go of him slowly, she gives a grim smile.

"Don't look the same? Minato, you're talking through a _speaker_. How could you possibly be happy living like this?" Her hands bunch into fists. The smile twitches into a grimace. Whipping around, she glares at me, her sorrow transforming into rage. "Why? Why is he a Persona!?"

"I don't know." Walking over to me, she grabs the collar of my shirt, choking out her words between gulps for air.

"Why did you let this happen?" Her grip loosens. "Why did you let him come back as that… As that _thing_!?"

"Yukari." Touching her shoulder gently, Minato looks disappointed—but not by her reaction. He's disappointed in himself, for failing to fulfill Yukari's wishes. Letting go of my collar, Yukari steps back from me.

"I just don't understand," Wiping a tear from her cheek, she stares up at Minato. "You always end up drawing the short straw, Minato." Getting up from the sofa, Fuuka wanders over to Yukari, and gives her a comforting hug.

"It's unfair," With a loud cough, Yukari folds her arms, shivering noticeably. "It's unfair that you always end up in bad situations like this."

"I know. I'm sorry," Why is it that all he can do is apologize? Come on, Minato! "It's all my fault."

Oh hell… He says that, but really, I'm the one to blame. I'm the one who brought him back like this. If he's accepting it as his fault, why do I feel like I'm to blame? Why is Yukari right? I feel sick to my stomach. Minato may be sweet, but that doesn't change the fact that his plans poison you. He says that everything is his fault, even when it isn't. And it makes you feel like you're some kind of monster—the way he's taking the blame for you, even when you're the one screwing up. His words are hypnotic, and his movements angelic. He can't be to blame. He can't be. And you feel horrible that you're letting him say the things he does.

I can't believe I brought him back to see all his friends cry at what he's become.

… Some 'happy reunion' this has turned out to be.

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 6._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	7. Chapter 7

"Haven't seen Iwatodai in a while," Whistling appreciatively, Yosuke winks at me. "Pretty nice town, eh partner?" Tossing his bags onto the floor, he stretches, and then pulls open one of the curtains.

"You've got a nice view, too. Your parents must be making some sweet cash to afford a place this close to the waterfront." Swinging it back closed, he sits down on the floor, yawning. "Sorry that I'm tired, Souji. It's been a long day—with the train ride to get here, and all. But hey—it's totally worth it. I mean, I've got a whole week to hang out with you now." I smile as Yosuke finishes speaking. I have no idea what he just said. My mind's been stuck on Minato ever since a few days ago, when he met up with his friends. I feel bad for his situation—some of them seemed to reject him, just for how he looked like a Persona. Luckily, Junpei, Mitsuru and Ken comforted him and assured him that they'd be there if he wanted to talk. Like Minato would ever want to chat with someone. He's as quiet as they come.

"Hey, Souji, I asked you a question!" Yosuke waves his hand in front of my eyes. Three days ago, I got a call from him, saying he had a week free, and that he'd be coming to Iwatodai—whether I liked the idea or not. Of course, I had no complaints. My parents said that they would happily accommodate him, and that they would enjoy meeting one of my friends from Inaba. And so, here he is, sitting in my room. Just a week ago, I would've been over the moon at the thought of a chance to see Yosuke, but now, I feel surprisingly unconcerned about it. "Come on man, stop tuning out on me!"

"Sorry." As soon as I've apologized, I return to my thoughts on Minato. Yosuke blabbers on about something Chie did a fortnight ago, but all my attention is devoted to one thing: Minato. I haven't seen him since the other day. The moment I stepped out of that room, he was gone. I guess the things that Yukari said broke his heart. Or maybe it was the fact I didn't take the blame. I can never tell. He's just so absent, like he's in another world all the time. Maybe he is. _Everything's_ a 'perhaps' or a 'maybe' where he's concerned, after all. Grabbing my forehead, I let out a sigh.

"Minato…"

"And then Yukiko was like… Hey, Souji? Souji, you okay?" Shaking me by the shoulder, Yosuke groans. "You've been distracted all today. What's up? Do you not want me here or something?"

"No, Yosuke. It's fine, I just…" I trail off. How can I describe the problems I've been having with Minato? Even though Yosuke's a Persona user, he'll never understand how Minato is. Damn it. "… I've been having some problems with my Persona."

"You've been using your Persona? What's the point in that? Come on, Izanami's gone, why would you need to…?"

"I have a new Persona, Yosuke." Maybe I should try summoning Minato by force? That'd save me from having to explain him. Concentrating, I can't help but smile when a blue tarot card appears in front of me. Clapping one hand down on it, I crush the card into pieces, and Minato appears nearby, asleep on the ground.

"… Souji, your Persona is sleeping." At least now I've solved the mystery of why Minato picks up on some things I do during the day, but not others. It looks like he's asleep half the time. I guess it makes sense—being a Persona would probably drain a lot of his energy, since he has to be prepared to cast spells and suchlike at the drop of a hat. His human soul probably doesn't have the strength to sustain that kind of a body. What kind of a fate have I sentenced Minato to? Smiling a little, Yosuke picks up a pillow, and bends his arm to throw it at my Persona.

"Yosuke, don't." I mumble, though I know that it won't hurt Minato if it is thrown.

"Souj', lighten up, it's just a Persona." Tossing the pillow lightly, it hits Minato in the head, causing him to wake up. Blinking awake, he looks at Yosuke, and says nothing.

"Don't worry, Minato, this guy knows about Personae." Yosuke shoots me a glance as I start talking to Minato. Of _course _I look crazy to him right now, but soon Minato'll show him.

"… Okay…" Grumbling, Minato shuffles into a sitting position, with his legs crossed. Rubbing one eye, he flicks his fringe around a bit so he can see through it. "Hey there." He waves to Yosuke with his free hand.

"They aren't supposed to do that," Pointing to Minato, Yosuke looks a little anxious. "Where'd you find this one?" Getting up on his knees, Minato crawls over to us, and sits down next to me.

"Can you stop talking about him like that?" I groan.

"Why?" Yosuke looks at me like I've gone mad. Me, sensitive about my Personae? Yeah, a month or two back, I would've called all this crazy too.

"I have my own soul. I'm not part of Souji's," Minato saves me an explanation, and I couldn't be more glad. "By the way, those headphones are nice." Yosuke looks from me, to Minato, and back to me again.

"Souji Seta, you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 7._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	8. Chapter 8

_THUMP!_

Yosuke lands on top of me, whining at the strength of the fall. Looking around, I see beautiful fields, with a picturesque blue sky floating above. The world inside the TV—returned to its natural state after the Investigation Team and I defeated Izanami. It's beautiful. But I hardly have time to worry about that. Pushing Yosuke off me, I get to my feet, and begin to look around. We're in an entirely different area to the one that the Inaba TV sets connected to—and that noted difference is growing vaster by the second. He and I stand side by side, as the fields become tainted by human thought. Minato must be powerful. No matter how I've tried to dismiss his strength before, I can't shrug it off now. This is the world of someone who has faced huge trials before. Flowers die off around us, and trees wither away, replaced by see-through walls and shifting passageways. The building where we met the other day… It's some kind of replica of that. Shadows begin to appear in far off corridors.

Why were we so careless?

Yosuke and I had just been playing around with the huge TV set in the living room. My parents were fast asleep, so Minato had come downstairs too. I don't remember much of what followed. All I know is that there was yelling, and fighting, and a feeling that wormed its way down into my stomach, right after I pushed him into the TV- guilt. It was always jealousy driving me in my relationship with Minato. I only realized that moments after.

He's a better friend than I am, and far more knowledgeable. He always knows the right thing to say, and the way he blames himself isn't to try and make me feel bad, it's because that's what he really does think. He thinks he's to blame for everything—all of this. And he'd been trying his best to please me, all this time, but I kept on passing it off as selfishness. _Wild Card selfishness_. I'm always mining for friendships, because of how they help me in fusing Personae—not because I want to help anyone. If I do along the way, well great, someone's happy. Minato always worked to improve people's lives. I still don't understand what this 'seal' is, but I know now that that was why he had to die.

I would never have the selfless attitude Minato possesses. He gave away his very life without a second thought, when I falter at just the idea of such a thing. I conquered Izanami, yes, but only because I had everyone there to help me. Minato did this 'seal' thing alone, for two whole years, protecting the world from some horror that I can probably only imagine. And here I am, giving him shit about being a Persona. Some friend I am.

"Come on, Souji. Let's get going." A pang of fear runs through me as I realize that I have no Persona now. Without Minato here, I'm defenseless—I all but abandoned my weapons back in Inaba.

"Yosuke, I don't have anything to fight with." Yosuke looks at me as though I've gone mad.

"Damn, do I have to do everything around here?" Shaking his head, he draws a spare set of kunai, and hands them to me. "Don't lose those, partner." Sprinting ahead, Yosuke tackles a duo of Shadows, while I trail behind, taking my time to look at Minato's channel. Beyond the see-through walls, faded video plays out, snapshots of people living their lives—I spy younger versions of all Minato's friends, along with many others I've never met before. On occasion, the scenes will switch to the night sky, and a huge, two-faced Shadow running at a golden door. As Yosuke finishes off his opponents, he shouts at me.

"Come on, Souji! Let's get a move on!" Dashing around a corner, I'm forced to run ahead with him, leaving the slideshow of memories behind. Taking a few more twists and turns, Yosuke leads me through a maze of doorways and corridors, carefully dodging around any Shadows we come across. Pushing open door after door, he and I grin as we finally reach a pearly white staircase, leading us up to the next level of the dungeon. Ascending it quickly, I freeze as I hear a voice yell out.

"_There's nothing we can do!?_" After a moment of thought, I realize that it's Ken. Ken's voice… But who—and what—is he talking about? Stepping onto the next floor, I watch the staircase close up beneath me. What kind of place is this? This floor has totally different decorations. Now we're on a train of some kind, filled with an eerie green light.

"Souji! We've got to keep going," Motioning to me, Yosuke keeps running. I follow close behind. After defeating a few weak Shadows, the pair of us arrive at another stairwell. "After you." Stepping cautiously onto it, I hear another voice.

"_Don't give up, we have to believe in him!_" I don't stop or hesitate this time. They're a part of Minato's channel—so these voices, they must be important somehow. Another floor… The scenery has changed again. This time, we're in a hallway, somewhere in Gekkoukan school. More fighting, more running… The next stairway.

"_Give him strength! Take my life if you must!_" This time, Mitsuru's voice calls out. Yosuke and I pass through the shady rooms of a love hotel, then an underground weapons dump. Club Escapade. Iwatodai Station. And a twisted replica of the Moonlight Bridge. Minato's channel is like a tour of the hot-spots of Iwatodai. But… Each one is twisted, changed, and bathed in green light. Voices call at us with each staircase we navigate.

"_Yeah! I'm willing to risk mine too!_"

"_He's going to face it all by himself!_"

"_No, he's not alone, I won't let him die!_"

"_I won't allow this world to be destroyed!_"

"_Alright. Let's do this._"

Yosuke and I ascend a vibrant green staircase, stemming from the south end of the Moonlight Bridge. Breaking through an invisible ceiling in the sky, he and I find ourselves in the middle of an endless black area. Tentatively placing his foot on the blackness, Yosuke discovers it to be solid. The two of us step onto it properly, the stairs disappearing behind us. We're alone now—no Shadows, no light, just this dark expanse. Where is Minato?

"Come on! Don't tell me we came all this way for nothing?" Yosuke whines, spinning around, trying to figure out if there's anything else in here. Suddenly, as though someone has switched on a giant light, scenery appears around us. We're on a school rooftop—presumably Gekkoukan's. And nearby, a guy, about our age, lies in the lap of a blonde girl.

"Thank you…" She whispers to him, and I realize that the both of them are crying. He reaches up to her face, and wipes away her tears.

"Don't cry." His voice sounds familiar, but I can't quite place why.

"You're right. What am I doing?" The girl sniffs, and rubs one eye. "I understand now, so I should be happy!" She's on the brink of breaking down. I can't tell what's going on, but I sense that something is wrong.

"Hey!" I hear Junpei's voice call out in the distance. This is like the scenes playing on the wall of the first floor. What do they all mean?

"Everyone…" The girl tosses her head back, and looks in the direction of Junpei's voice. After a moment, she turns her attention back to the sleepy blue-haired boy in her lap. His eyes are gradually closing. "… I realize now that I have friends as well. You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes, all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of." She clears hair away from the boy's eyes, and smiles.

"I'll keep on living, no matter what, so I can protect you," Her smile twitches, and tries to morph into a grimace. I finally realize… He's dying. "Thank you for everything… Please, get some rest… I'll stay right here with you." Her hand shakes as she pulls it back from his forehead.

"Soon, all your friends will be here by your side," A tremble runs through her entire body. The boy gives one final smile, and his eyes close slowly, as though he's trying to savor his last sights. The girl forces her mouth into the widest smile she can muster. "Don't worry. I'll always be by your side… Protecting you."

"Souji?" Upon hearing my name, I whip around. Minato is standing in front of me, looking at me with mournful eyes. I want to tell him how sorry I am, but something holds me back.

"Minato…" Is all I can manage. Beside me, Yosuke slips his kunai back into his pockets, and smiles comfortingly.

"Hey, come on," He looks around a bit. "Tell us what this is all about." Minato doesn't respond, and instead casts his gaze skyward.

"Yo, Earth to Minato?" Yosuke probes.

"This is my life."

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 8._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	9. Chapter 9

Without warning, the environment around us dissolves into blackness again, and Minato turns away.

"Souji… What is this place?" He drops his hands to his sides. "All my memories have been playing out, over and over." I walk forwards, and circle around to look Minato in the eye.

"This is a dimension that Yosuke and I discovered last year," Yosuke hangs back away from Minato and I, as though he can tell that he shouldn't interrupt. "We're inside the TV."

"I know that," As much as he tries to avoid it, Minato glares at me for a split second. "But why am I seeing all these things that I've tried to forget?" Like leaves in the wind, a short stream of pictures leak from the darkness, and dance around Minato and I. Each one shows a different one of his friends, as they appeared in the walls of the first level. Stretching towards me, Minato plucks a single picture from the air, and shows it to me.

"More than anything, I wanted to see her," The blonde girl from the sequence Yosuke and I saw before is shown on it. "But from everything Junpei and Mitsuru said to me, I can piece together her fate." Crushing the photograph as I would a tarot card, Minato tosses the shards into the air.

"She was designed for a single purpose: to fight Shadows. And after my friends had destroyed all traces of them from our lives, she had no reason to continue… Junpei lied about Mitsuru being able to maintain her," Closing his eyes, he gives a bittersweet smile. "Likewise, Igor lied about Elizabeth becoming the new seal. I know now, why they don't talk about her. She is the one who took my place. _Aegis_ is the one who took my place." Yosuke walks forwards, reaches up and places a hand on Minato's shoulder.

"Hold on there. What is this 'seal' thing anyway?" Looking a little surprised, Minato gives a dark chuckle.

"I should have realized that I was forgetting something," Brushing Yosuke away, his brow furrows, deep in concentration. The area lights up again, and we're presented with a giant golden door. Painted eyes watch out from it, and in the center is a statue, chained to it, watching silently over everything below. Minato turns to face both of us. "This is the seal."

"Hey, check out that guy on it," Yosuke whispers to me. "Think that might be Minato?" If Yosuke's right, then the boy we saw die before, and the one in all the flashbacks…

"That's you." I point to the statue. Minato smiles at my deduction.

"Yeah. That was me for two years," Out of nowhere, a giant black hand crashes into the door, and claws at it, desperately trying to get through. Minato must have been sealing away whatever the hand belongs to, for some reason that will probably never be clear to me. "Elizabeth, the last attendant of the Velvet Room, struggled to find a way to release me. And, thanks to you Souji, she found it."

"Thanks to… me?" Yosuke looks at me with mock anger.

"So, what'd _you_ do?" I can't help but feel a tiny bit annoyed by Yosuke's whimsical view of all this.

"In defeating Izanami, he managed to create a window of time where Erebus wouldn't have the strength to attack me. During that time—it could have been a fortnight, at the most—Elizabeth and Aegis managed to break through my restraints, and replace me," The door fades from sight, as Minato places his head in his hands. "It wasn't fate, or anything like that, Souji."

"What do you mean?"

"I had to become your Persona. It was the only way I could return to Earth at all. While my spirit has always been alive up there, my body's been dead for two years," The darkness begins to flit between locations—a restaurant, an inn, a shrine. "And the last arcana I utilized was 'The World'."

"And so you could only return through 'The World'." Minato nods.

"After Aegis sacrificed herself for me, you were the only Wild Card left. It had to be you to bring me back," Suddenly, the scene freezes. We're in a dimly-lit blue room, with a wall that resembles an old-fashioned elevator door. "Wild Cards are linked, no matter how far apart they may be." A clock set above the door hits twelve. White light pours through the steel bars, as they fold back, allowing us through into an unknown destination. Minato shows us onwards wordlessly. As the light clears away, I realize that we're back in the first floor of the dungeon.

"We're at the beginning again." Yosuke notes. Minato looks at him, but then shakes his head and turns away.

"There's no reason for us to stay here. I've got nothing more to say." Pointing down a hallway, Yosuke grins.

"The exit should be this way," Breaking into a run, he slows for a minute to urge Minato and I on. "Come on, guys!" Sharing a look, the pair of us follow after Yosuke… Only to be blocked as a wall springs up in front of us.

"Huh? Minato! Souji!" Yosuke pounds on the other side, but can't break through. "Damn it, what the hell's going on?" Reaching behind his back, Minato pulls out his lyre.

"Something doesn't want us to leave," Turning around, both of us see a wave of Shadows coming closer. Each one is different from the other, and they all seem oddly familiar. "The arcana Shadows. I should have realized earlier." I move forwards, pulling the kunai Yosuke gave me from my pockets, but Minato stops me.

"Don't," He gives me _the_ smile. "I'm your Persona. It's my job to protect _you_."

"But Minato, you—"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Pushing me back into the wall, Minato springs at the Shadows, sending out deadly shockwaves from his lyre. Without warning, I feel Yosuke's hand wrap around my arm, and pull me back through the wall, which has become intangible. The last thing I see is Minato lighting a huge fire among them, before the wall blocks me from watching any more.

"Souji, we've got to get out of here," I realize that I've fallen over, and that Yosuke's still tugging on my arm. "We can't take Minato with us. Personae don't belong out in the human world—you know that!" Dragging me to my feet, he pulls me along after him. I'm powerless to resist, still spellbound by the haste with Minato leapt to rescue me… And heartbroken by the knowledge that he doesn't stand a chance against all those Shadows.

"Come _on_, Souji!" My eyes never leave the wall, and the sight of Minato's smile is burned into my brain. Who knew that you could fall in love with your own Persona?

_Rank up!_

'_The World' social link is now on level 9._

_The rebirth draws nearer_


	10. Chapter 10

"Come on, cheer up!" Grabbing me by the shoulders, Yosuke shakes me. "You've been out of it ever since we got back from inside the TV! Don't tell me you're still hung up on what happened in there?" Yosuke can't possibly imagine what Minato did for me. Risking his life like that, and saving me from all those Shadows… Of course my mind's stuck on him. I want to see him return, safe and sound, but that's not going to happen. Summoning him hasn't worked. I went to the Velvet Room to see Igor, and was told that nothing could be done. He's just going to die in there—back inside that damn TV—and we won't be able to do a single thing.

How would a Persona die? All Personae were originally Shadows, from what I've seen, but Minato, he's special. Where all the others would fade away, will he remain there? Littered in mechanical pieces all over the carpeted floor, his head mounted on the wall, in some sickening fashion. Like a deer caught on a hunt. Ripped apart, never able to decompose, or face destruction. And with his death, maybe his channel will fade away, too. Human channels stayed until Izanami's death, when the uncertainty and upset of our species was wiped away from Inaba. In Iwatodai, a Persona has created its own channel… But really, weren't Personae always the hosts of the twisted TV shows?

Maybe I'm missing something here. Maybe, that was never Minato to begin with. Or perhaps his Shadow was one of the humans in the flashbacks. Can a Persona have a Shadow? This isn't making any sense.

"Souji…" Yosuke looks at me, disappointment in his eyes. "It's not healthy for you to be worrying like this." A warm wind blows across the shrine. After the ordeal two days ago, I've been tracking down all the places I saw in Minato's world, hoping to find some kind of clue that he's okay. Kind of pathetic… Isn't it?

"Anyway, if you're so determined to track him down, we should probably get going. I don't think he's going to show up here," Grabbing my forearm, Yosuke tugs me away, and back out onto the street. Once he thinks we're far enough from the shrine, he lets go of me, trusting that I won't turn and run away. I've tried that several times today—hearing ghostly voices, thinking Minato's there, and fleeing to find him. "Hey, where're we going next?" I pull my phone from my pocket, and scroll through my texts, until I find the one from Junpei, saying where the building from the other day is. Showing it to Yosuke, he nods.

"Okay. I think that's this way." Walking down the street, he keeps glancing nervously back at me, to check I haven't disappeared. At this point, I wonder if there'd be any use in doing that. After the building, we've just got one more place to check- Shirakawa Boulevard. The streets twist and turn before Yosuke and I, as we search for the address. I see so many things on our journey, things to remind me of Minato. Even the tiniest detail sets me off, and makes my stomach sink. I've said so many horrible things to him, and I have to apologize for them all. Don't let him be dead. It'd be cruel for him to be dead. There're so many things we still have to talk about. Minato, Minato, _Minato_.

"We're here, Souji." Shaking me by the shoulder again, Yosuke points to the building in front of us. Going up to the door, I turn the handle, and find that it's locked. "Damn. We came all this way for nothing?" No. We came here for something. We came for Minato. And I'm not leaving without him. Grabbing my phone out again, I find Junpei's number, and send him a text. _Can you find me the keys for that building? Thanks_. Within moments, I have a response. _Sure, I'll be there soon_. I can see why Minato was such good friends with Junpei—he's very dependable.

"Junpei is coming to give us the keys." I tell Yosuke, who raises an eyebrow.

"Junpei…?" Not giving me time to explain, he shakes his head. "Never mind." Slumping back against one of the walls of the entranceway, Yosuke yawns.

"Hope he gets here fast. I'm bored." Minutes pass by, with the two of us standing, waiting… And eventually, a beaten up car stops nearby. Junpei steps out, missing his hat and dressed in such a way that it looks as though he only woke up half an hour ago. He probably did. Pulling a bunch of keys from his pocket, he walks up to us.

"Hey there, Souji," Giving a grin, he looks to Yosuke. "And this is?"

"I'm Yosuke. You're Junpei, right?" Junpei nods.

"Sure am! Hey, you're lucky you contacted me, Souji. Mitsuru gave me the keys to this place when she went home a couple of days ago. She had a feeling you'd want back in," Sticking a large silver key into the door, Junpei opens it up and walks in. "Truth be told, I'm liking the idea of getting back in here too. It hasn't been used since it was a dorm' for us in second year of high school." Yosuke follows closely after Junpei, as do I.

"But then again, I guess that Minato told you 'bout all that."

"He didn't." Yosuke and I say in unison. Junpei looks a little freaked out for a moment.

"Wow, guess he's been as secretive as ever. So, Yosuke, you're a Persona user too?"

"Yeah!" Yosuke replies, slinging his arm around me. "This guy and I? We're a team, along with a bunch of other people back in Inaba."

"Oh? Well, back in the day, Minato and I were part of a team like that too. Souji, you met most of them the other day," So _that's _the connection between all of them. "We called ourselves S.E.E.S—specialized extracurricular execution squad. We were meant to be some kind of secret school club… It was pretty cool." Everything that I wanted to know about Minato is clearing up. The scenes from his past are making sense now.

"Though, I gotta say, it sucked at times. Pretty much all of us lost someone close to us thanks to our work. Mitsuru's dad, Akihiko's best friend… It pissed me off a lot," Tossing the keys onto a counter nearby, Junpei leads us past the lounge set-up where we had all met up the other day. "So, what'd you guys need me to open this up for, anyway? Did Minato want to look around a bit, or something?" Yosuke shakes his head.

"Minato's de…"

"Minato's not here. We're trying to find where he's gone, actually."

"Rampaging Persona?" Junpei makes a noise of disapproval. "Not good, guys."

"We know." Yosuke tells him. "Which is exactly why we've got to track him down."

"Good luck with that. My girlfriend Chidori couldn't control her Persona very well, and that caused a world of trouble." As Yosuke and Junpei begin discussing their adventures together, I peer at a notice-board on one of the walls. A picture of Minato's friends is pinned to it, along with holiday snapshots from what looks like Kyoto. News bulletins surround the pictures, dated for various times in two thousand and nine. 'Apathy Syndrome on the Rise'. 'Schoolboy Shot—Gangs Responsible?'. 'Kirijo Company CEO Found Dead'. In the centre, though, is the most striking thing of all. A small article, but its location catches my attention—an obituary page, for sometime in March of two thousand and ten. Minato Arisato. He was living here when he died. I'm on the right track. Walking away from Junpei and Yosuke, who are now arguing over favorite pop stars, I begin to climb the spiral staircase at the end of the hallway.

At the top of the steps, I see another small living room, with a vending machine to one side of it. This hallway feels strange. I notice doors, leading off to what must be bedrooms. It's time to take a look. Swinging open the door to the first room on the left, I find nothing. Second on the left; the only sign it's been lived in is the crumbs trodden into the carpet. It's the same with every other room I check on the floor. As I'm about to leave, though, I hear a noise from the final door on the right. Of course—I forgot to check there. Taking a deep breath, and preparing myself for disappointment, I walk towards it, and stop just outside. My hand touches the ice-cold handle. I have to open it. Twisting it, I push the door open, scrunching my eyes closed, not ready to face another empty room. My first surprise comes when I see that the room is full of furniture, and that a Gekkoukan school uniform is hung up in the open closet. Stepping in and shutting the door behind me, I can hardly believe my eyes.

On the bed, curled up so as to fit, is Minato. His eyes open slowly, and he looks at me.

"Souji. You made it." A smile spreads over his face, as I come closer to him.

"Of course I did, Minato," I kneel down beside him, and grip one of his huge, white hands. I've never touched them like this before—they're cold and hard, despite the fabric stretched over them. He really is made of steel. Trying to sit up, he shrinks away from his attempt, as pain hits him. "Come on. Just relax." I pull him back into a lying position. I don't want to see him hurting any more.

"Who knew that Personae could feel pain?" He asks, relaxing. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Souji." I shake my head.

"No. It's my fault."

"Don't say that." Minato scolds.

"But it's what you always do." He laughs at his hypocrisy.

"Yeah, but I'm allowed to. It's who I am," Wincing again, Minato turns to look at the TV in the corner of his room. "I'm lucky that I was created as a Persona. Otherwise, I would have never been able to escape that place." I grip his hand tighter.

"I'm glad that you're alive. So, so, glad," Letting go of his hand, I wrap my arms around him, and give him a tight hug. "I'm sorry that I've been so selfish." I whisper.

_We are The World. We are the saviors._

_The bond we have nurtured has finally matured._

_The answers we searched for have been found._

_Welcome to the rebirth…_

The hard metal beneath me melts away, and I feel fear seize up in my heart. He's fading away. A hailstorm of blue butterflies scatters from under me, and fly around the room, before disappearing into blue dust. The blue dust fades as it hits the ground, leaving me totally alone. Before I can stop myself, tears come to my eyes.

"Minato?" I clamber to my feet, looking around for some sign that this isn't the end. "Minato!?" It's not fair. Just when I find him, he slips through my fingers… This must be some kind of sick, karmic justice for how I've treated him. Collapsing onto the bed, I close my eyes, and keep choking out his name.

"Minato… Minato… Minato…" He's gone, he's gone.

"Minato… Minato… Minato…"

"I heard you the first time, Souji." His voice. It's so close. I snap my eyes open. Nearby, a patch of light has appeared on the ground, and from it, something is rapidly appearing. First, a pair of plain, black school shoes, followed by black dress pants. A Gekkoukan school jacket, left open, and a white shirt. A black ribbon tied in a bow around a skinny neck. Finally, an expressionless face, with wide grey eyes and blue hair draping over them. The boy takes headphones out of his ears, and smiles.

_A resolution has occurred in your heart_

_Orpheus has given rise to Messiah_

"Good to see you missed me." Placing the earpieces around his neck, he fingers his small, green mp3 player and turns it off.

"Minato?" I inquire, to which he laughs.

"Do you really need to keep saying my name?" Opening his arms wide to me, he flicks his hands up and beckons. "C'mon." Shakily, I get up from the bed, and walk across the room to where Minato stands. Part of me flinches as I realize that, just by a fraction of an inch, I'm taller than him. I give him a gentle hug, and this time, he reciprocates.

"Wild Cards are connected, no matter how far apart, right?" He says into my ear.

"Yeah." Pulling apart, I'm met with surprise as Minato quickly kisses me.

"I'm going to be keeping you close regardless," I hear a crash from downstairs, which interrupts my thoughts. Shortly afterwards, there's a loud yell.

"That's your fault!" Stupid Yosuke.

"Sounds like Yosuke and Junpei have met up," Minato sighs, turning away from me and pulling open the door. "We should probably go stop them from doing anything crazy." I nod in response. Junpei and Yosuke together? I can't believe I let that happen. We'll be lucky if the dormitory survives another five minutes. Following Minato out, I shut the door behind me.

"Hey, Souji." Minato stops walking, and turns back to look at me.

"What?" I reply.

"… Thank you."

"For what?"

"… Everything."

_I chooseth this fate of my own free will._


End file.
